2019 Venezuelan Primera División season
The 2019 Primera División season, officially Liga de Fútbol Profesional Venezolano or Liga FUTVE, was the 38th professional season of Venezuela's top-flight football league. Zamora were the defending champions, but in the Torneo Apertura they were knocked out by Mineros in the quarter-finals and in the Torneo Clausura they failed to advance to the knockout stage. The champions were Caracas, who won the Torneo Clausura by defeating Deportivo Táchira in the final and then went on to beat Apertura winners Estudiantes de Mérida in the Serie Final on penalties to claim their twelfth league title.


2019 Venezuelan Primera División season, Teams, Stadia and locations
a: Atlético Venezuela are playing outside the Brígido Iriarte Stadium in Caracas as the stadium was suspended. Atlético Venezuela played at the Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui in Puerto La Cruz in the Torneo Apertura, while in the Torneo Clausura they are hosting their home matches at the Estadio Olímpico Hermanos Ghersi Páez in Maracay.b:  Carabobo are playing outside of the Estadio Misael Delgado in Valencia due to mainteinance works at the stadium. Carabobo are playing their home matches at the Estadio Rafael Calles Pinto in Guanare.


2019 Venezuelan Primera División season, Torneo Apertura
The Torneo Apertura is the first tournament of the season. The regular season started on 26 January and ended on 19 May.


2019 Venezuelan Primera División season, Torneo Apertura, Knockout stage, Final
Tied 0–0 on aggregate, Estudiantes de Mérida won on penalties.


2019 Venezuelan Primera División season, Torneo Clausura
The Torneo Clausura is the second tournament of the season. The regular season started on 26 July and ended on 10 November.


2019 Venezuelan Primera División season, Serie Final
The Serie Final was held between the champions of the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Clausura to decide the champions of the season. The team out of both finalists with the best placement in the aggregate table hosted the second leg.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts
Nationwide recurring electrical blackouts in Venezuela began in March 2019. Experts and state-run Corpoelec (Corporación Eléctrica Nacional) sources attribute the electricity shortages to lack of maintenance and to a lack of technical expertise in the country resulting from a brain drain; Nicolás Maduro's administration attributes them to sabotage. Since March, various nationwide blackouts occurred in the country.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts
The first widespread blackout began on 7 March 2019 at 4:56 pm local time (GMT-4); it lasted through 14 March, when power was restored to much of the country. It was the largest power outage in the country's history, and affected the electricity sector in Venezuela in most of its 23 states, as well as Roraima border state of Brazil,  causing serious problems in hospitals and clinics, industry, transport and in water service. At least 43 deaths resulted. On 12 March, power returned to some parts of the country, but Caracas remained only partially powered and western regions near the border with Colombia remained dark. Power outages persisted in some areas for many days after 14 March.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts
Between 14 and 16 of Venezuela's 23 states were again without power from 25 March to 28 March; at least four people died as a result of the three-day lack of power. Another blackout started in the evening of 29 March, followed by another 24 hours later. During the month of March, Venezuela was without power for at least 10 days overall.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts
The ongoing power outages have worsened the crisis in Venezuela and "suffering, cutting off water supplies and leaving hospitals and airports in the dark". On 31 March, Maduro announced a 30-day plan to ration power, and Juan Guaidó announced that Japan was prepared to make investments in Venezuela to help solve the power outages.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
Most of Venezuela's power comes from one of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world, Guri Dam in Bolívar State, Venezuela on the Caroni River; as of 2019, 70–80% of Venezuela's power comes from Guri. Venezuela has a history of electrical blackouts dating at least to 2010; Juan Nagel wrote in Foreign Policy in 2016 that the problems resulted from "massive government corruption [...] and the country’s disastrous energy policies". Univision also reported that the problems in the energy sector resulted from corruption and "lack of maintenance and investment". A report from Transparency Venezuela said that maintenance was abandoned for twenty years beginning in 1998. The aging infrastructure made the problems worse, and critics were silenced; a union leader for state power workers was arrested in 2018 by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service for warning that a blackout was likely.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
The private company, Electricidad de Caracas was owned by the United States' AES Corporation until 2007; according to The Wall Street Journal, "Venezuela's power grid was once the envy of Latin America". Then-President Hugo Chávez created the state-run Corpoelec by nationalizing the electric sector and expelling private industry in 2007; hence, the state has been solely responsible for energy supply for over ten years.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
Univision says Chávez "admitted failures (...) such as the 'insufficient' availability of the thermoelectric generation plant and the limitations of the national electric power transmission network and distribution systems"; he signed a decree in 2010 declaring a "State of Emergency of the National Electric Service". Chávez had Corpoelec speed up projects, and bypassing the process of public bidding for projects, he "authorized 'contracting by direct award'," which facilitated corruption.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
In 2009, the Chávez administration declared a national electric emergency and invested $100 billion US dollars towards solving it. The Chávez administration "distributed million-dollar contracts without bidding that enriched high officials of his government and the works were never built", according to Univision. The Wall Street Journal stated that the government awarded electrical contracts to companies with little experience in the energy sector. Billions of dollars were awarded in contracts for projects that were never completed, leading to international investigations of "high officials of the Chavez regime today persecuted for plundering the coffers of the Bolivarian Republic".


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
Critics say that one company, Derwick Associates, was given projects although they had no previous experience; Derwick denies any bribes were involved. Of 40 energy projects approved between 2010 and 2014 analyzed by Transparency Venezuela, 17 are not completed as of March 2019, none are operating at capacity, and overcharging by billions of dollars was identified.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
Further complicating the technical matters, the administration of Corpoelec was handed over to a Venezuelan National Guard Major General, Luis Motta Domínguez, who had admitted to a lack of experience in the energy industry. Restarting an aging power grid requires specialists and equipment that may no longer be available in Venezuela, as a result of a brain drain; thousands of workers have left the country, or have left Corpoelec because of "meager wages and an atmosphere of paranoia fed by Mr. Maduro's ever-present secret police", according to experts cited by The New York Times.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
There were two major blackouts in 2013. In 2016, Venezuela had a severe electricity crisis that caused blackouts, industry shutdowns, and the decision by then-President Nicolás Maduro to cut back on government employees' work hours. Maduro's administration has put rationing in place several times, and changed the country's clocks to accommodate a daytime commute. Nagel wrote in 2016, "... there are two main reasons for the crisis: excessive electricity consumption and insufficient production. And the root of both of these problems is bad governance: populism, poor planning, inflexible ideology, and overwhelming corruption." And in 2017, there were more than 18,000 power outages nationwide.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
In 2017, the National Assembly investigated the $100 billion invested in the electrical system and determined that over $80 billion was embezzled, that more than 14 thermoelectric stations were not functioning, and that neither the electrical transmission nor the distribution system had adequate maintenance.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
Attempts to explain the ongoing power failures, despite the billions of dollars spent, have led to public scorn and ridicule on social media; in 2018, Motta Dominguez said on Instagram, "Comrades! In some cases, faults in the electrical system are produced by animals such as: rats, mice, snakes, cats, squirrels, rabbits, turkey vultures, etc., that are looking for burrows, nests or hiding places, and are introduced into the system's equipment causing the failure."


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, History
In March 2019, two Venezuelan citizens—Jesús Ramón Veroes and Luis Alberto Chacín Haddad, who live in the US and have long associations with Corpoelec's Motta Domínguez—were charged in Florida District Court with money laundering, violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and "misappropriation, theft and embezzlement of public funds by or for the benefit of a public official"; the complaint alleges millions of dollars were transferred from Corpoelec to their Florida bank accounts in 2016 and 2017.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
Most of Venezuela's largest cities are powered from the San Geronimo B substation, connected to the hydroelectric power plant at the Gurí Dam "via one of the longest high-voltage lines in the world". Sources cited by Corpoelec indicated a vegetation fire occurred on three lines of 765 kV between the dam and the Malena and San Gerónimo B substations. The fire overheated the lines, triggering load rejection mechanisms that protect the lines connected to the dam.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
According to the School of Electrical Engineering of the Central University of Venezuela, the momentary loss of power at the Gurí Dam caused the turbines to increase their speed, creating an overload on electrical systems. The university further stated that the safety control systems in Gurí were activated to reduce the increased energy input, but the system became uncontrollable and forced operators to disconnect the generators in the dam. When the generators were disconnected, the electrical frequency could not be regulated and overloaded power plants located in Caruachi and Macagua. Because thermal power plants in Venezuela are not being operated due to the shortages of fuel provided by PDVSA, fluctuations in electrical frequencies exacerbated the power grid and contributed to continued blackouts.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
Satellite images by NASA show that the vegetation fire in the Guri started a day before the blackout. Vegetation near power lines in Venezuela had not been pruned since 2018 – a particularly serious situation because of the dry season. Engineers and analysts quoted by The Guardian say the cause is underfunding and mismanagement, including the deployment of soldiers to operate electrical substations instead of electricians. A fault affected three large cables from the Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant, which supply 80% of Venezuela's power.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
One cable lost power between the Malena and San Gerónimo B substations on the main network, which caused the other two to also lose power. The engineer Miguel Lara, ex-manager of the Office of Planning of the Interconnected System, quoted by El Pitazo, declared the thermal plants did not start and that the rapid response generation plants did not work, so the electric service during the blackout was restored only in some areas.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
The New York Times quoted José Aguilar, a Chicago-based Venezuelan power industry expert and consultant for reinsurance companies, who reviewed country-wide power levels during the blackout and said the government had attempted to restart Guri multiple times, leading to an explosion at a nearby substation. Aguilar said these restart attempts had damaged "something else in the system, destabilizing the grid yet further (...) Obviously, they are hiding something from us."


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
The blackout occurred on Thursday 7 March; The New York Times said Corpoelec workers and a manager said no date had been set by 11 March for restart; that they were asked not to report to work that Monday; and the Times added, "[t]heir names have been withheld to protect them from government reprisals."


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
Another backup substation, San Geronimo A, is connected to a smaller plant at Matagua, and was able to send a weaker, intermittent current during the blackout. The government had built over a dozen backup plants powered by diesel or natural gas; none of them functioned during the outage. The New York Times said the supply of fuel required to run thermal power plants has been affected by US sanctions.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
The administration of Nicolás Maduro blamed US sabotage for the outage without providing any evidence, according to the BBC and The New York Times. Maduro alleged that the US had used advanced technology for a cyberattack on the grid. Jorge Rodríguez, communications minister for the Maduro administration, pointed to Twitter posts by US Senator Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and acting president Juan Guaidó, alleging that they demonstrated inside information about the blackout.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
Guaidó said Maduro's administration had failed to maintain the electrical grid. Venezuelan energy experts cited by El Pitazo have rejected the theory that the blackout was caused by sabotage, since the area of the Gurí Dam is heavily guarded by members of the Armed Forces, where it operates a special command and the internal security of Corpolec. These specialists have also pointed out that Gurí was constructed before the Internet existed, does not use the Internet, hence does not allow for hacking.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
A risk management consultant cited by El Nacional dismissed the statement by government officials and assured that the design of the hydroelectric plant system does not allow "attacks" of that type. He said, "These systems can not be attacked remotely. They are closed control systems designed for generating turbines to work synchronously," and that would be "like hacking a refrigerator or a blender."


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
The term "electromagntic attack" often used, for a blackout of this magnitude, to refer an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generated by a high-altitude nuclear explosion, similar to those tested by the US in Starfish Prime or by Soviet Union's Project K. Sharon Burke from New America, a non partisan think tank, consider that such an event would be noticeable by other nations. David Weinstein, chief security officer at Claroty, a security company that specializes in protecting infrastructure, considers unlikely the use of electromagnetic bursts to knock out the Venezuelan electric grid and states that "the power fails easily in Venezuela anyway, so it’s almost like a waste of the capability".


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Causes
Lisandro Cabello, secretary of the state of Zulia governorship from the PSUV party, said the explosions in electrical substations in that state were caused by kites.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects
The most vulnerable sectors of society were affected, with power, water, food, transportation and medical shortages. France 24 reported that the country lost US$200 million daily according to Carlos Larrazabal, the head of Fedecámaras; he said the biggest losses were in the food sector. Torino Capital investment bank estimated that US$1 billion was lost from Venezuela's GDP as a result of the power outages.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Food and water
With the blackout, already existing shortages of food and medicine were aggravated; refrigerated food products were damaged, and meat, fish and dairy retailers without refrigeration had to close. With ongoing disruption in refrigeration, Fedecameras said that production of meat, milk and vegetables were cut in half. One bakery said it had lost all bread dough for one day, which was equivalent in value to 56 times the monthly minimum wage.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Food and water
Due to the lack of electricity, the water distribution system also had shortages. José de Viana, an engineer and former president of Hidrocapital, the municipal water company in Caracas, said that the 20,000 liters per second of water that Caracas needs fell to 13,000 during the blackouts, and later completely stopped. He said that 90% of the thermoelectric plants that work as a backup if power fails are not operational because of lack of maintenance, or they have been simply disconnected, and that "the most important population centers in the country [had] zero water supply for more than four days. Not a single drop of new water has been entering Caracas since Thursday, 7 March". According to The Washington Post, analysts said that two-thirds of Venezuela's population (20 million people) were without water, partially or completely, in the weeks after the blackouts.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Food and water
In Caracas, beginning 11 March, hundreds of people swarmed the polluted Guaire River in the center of Caracas to fill plastic containers with contaminated water, or collected water from streams at El Ávila National Park. Others tried to catch water from the city's sewer drains. Hundreds of people lined up at the foot of El Ávila hill to collect water from its streams. Long lines were reported in the state of Carabobo to buy water, ice and fuel, while in the state of Lara people bathed in the sewers.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Food and water
The head of the infectious disease department at the University Hospital of Caracas, Maria Eugenia Landaeta said that, without access to clean water, the chance of people contracting bacterial infections increased, and that doctors had seen during the blackouts "surges in diarrhea, typhoid fever and hepatitis A", while non-sterile water and lack of hygiene was contributing to postpartum infections. The University Hospital goes months without dependable water or power supply, and depends on water tanks and power generators.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Telecommunications and banking
An explosion occurred at an unidentified power station in the state of Bolívar on 9 March, causing additional, concurrent outages that disabled 96% of Venezuela's telecommunications infrastructure. With most of telecommunications unavailable, both access to news in Venezuelan and reports on the situation abroad were significantly reduced.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Telecommunications and banking
Shortages of the Venezuelan bolívar have been aggravated by the blackout. During the first days of the blackout the use of payment cards was not possible, as electricity and internet were not available, and some banks were closed. This problem, with the scarcity of cash, pushed some shops to accept only foreign currency, mostly the US dollar.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Telecommunications and banking
The need to use hard currency frequently led to the US dollar becoming dominant for transactions whilst banking was unavailable, overriding fears of the Maduro government's loose currency controls theoretically banning foreign currency, which supposedly accelerated the process of the popular currency defaulting to US dollars. After the blackout ended, many shops and other transactions kept prices in dollars, with people publicly using and talking about the spending; about 30% of all transactions in Venezuela were being done in dollars at the time.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Hospital conditions and deaths
As of 13 March, there have been at least 43 reported deaths. At least 26 were  as a direct result of a prolonged loss of electricity, though doctor Julio Castro clarified that this was based on the records of 40 primary medical centers, and the number is certainly higher. Withholding his name for fear of government reprisals, The New York Times cited a "top medical official" who said there were 47 deaths in the main hospital in Maracaibo, half of which he attributed to the blackout.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Hospital conditions and deaths
The Coalition of Organizations for the Right to Health and Life (Codevida) announced that 15 patients on renal dialysis died because these services were unavailable. El Pitazo reported that six deaths were registered in the hospital of Acarigua-Araure, in Portuguesa, two of which were direct results of blackout. The hospital was not able to work at full capacity because of fuel shortages.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Hospital conditions and deaths
Several patients with gunshot wounds – who could have received treatment – had amputations instead, for concern of "fatal complications if the blackout continued". Efecto Cocuyo reported that an 86-year-old man fell and died after fracturing his skull in Lara. Patients were robbed on two floors of a hospital that had lighting only in the emergency room from a generator when an armed group gained access to the hospital. With no light, pregnant women in another hospital had to be sent outside.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Hospital conditions and deaths
The government denied any deaths caused by the blackout; the health minister said that reports linking deaths to the blackout were false.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Infrastructure and industry
The blackout caused the Caracas Metro to shut down and public transportation to come to a standstill; the lack of transportation affected the ability of personnel to get to their jobs, for example, in the medical industry.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Infrastructure and industry
Restarting a power grid requires technical expertise that may no longer be present in Venezuela, and requires planning to balance and "handle the power surges and fluctuations involved in bringing power back online". Since the original outage, there have been ongoing electrical substation explosions, causing further outages, including one in southeastern Caracas, and a chain of explosions at substations in Maracaibo.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Infrastructure and industry
According to Conindustria, the industrial sector lost about $220 million during March due to the blackouts.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Infrastructure and industry
The blackout damaged elements of petroleum delivery, operations were disrupted, and some damaged installations cannot be brought back online quickly; Venezuela's long-term oil production capacity could be affected. Ali Moshiri, who oversaw Chevron operations in Venezuela, said he had warned the government for years that the oil fields needed independent power supplies, but his advice had not been heeded; he said, "All of the oil field production is tied into the public grid and if the public grid goes down, those fields get shut in." The International Energy Agency says that because of the economic situation in Venezuela, and problems with the electricity supply, the entire Venezuelan industry is at risk of collapsing.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Infrastructure and industry
Venezuela was once one of the three top producers of OPEC crude oil; ten years ago, it produced over 3 million barrels per day (BPD), and in February 2018, 2 million BPD. Production "has been declining for years due to economic collapse"; in March, Venezuela lost another 150,000 barrels per day in production. An oil expert told France 24 that production completely ceased at one point during the blackouts. The lack of power caused most of Venezuela's oil rigs to be shut down, and for a short time, cut the country's production in half.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Infrastructure and industry
Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that, because of the power outages, output had dipped as low as 600,000 BPD, although Bloomberg says that production averaged 890,000 BPD for the month of March, and Venezuela told OPEC it produced 960,000 BPD. Wills Rangel, a former director of PDVSA, said the Orinoco Belt has not yet recovered from the blackouts; cleaning or repairing pipes that clogged while the heating system that helps the heavy crude move through pipelines was down could take months. Four upgraders—"facilities that convert the extra-heavy oil to more commercial blends"—require power and have not resumed production as of 5 April 2019, as the power grid has not been stabilized. (By April, Venezuela's exports were steady at a million barrels daily, "partially due to inventory drains".)


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Infrastructure and industry
Five days without power "wiped out what little was left of Venezuela's heavy industry" in steel, aluminum and iron, according to The New York Times. Because of the blackout, equipment used to make aluminum at the state-run Venalum, a subsidiary of Corporación Venezolana de Guayana, was damaged and the entire industry shut down. Venezuela's largest steelmaker SIDOR ceased operating permanently after the blackout. Its production had been gradually decreasing since the company was nationalized in 2008 by Hugo Chávez.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Infrastructure and industry
A former director said that Chávez had "received it as a productive and solvent company; but management coming from the military world, unaware of 'steel manufacturing' activity, together with the 'absence of strategic planning and investments, led to a sustained fall in production'." The Alcasa aluminum plant and at least three other iron smelters also shut down. Many of the heavy industry plants had been operating at low capacity because of poor management, with laborers reporting to work because free meals were offered.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Education
Classes in primary schools, high schools and universities were suspended.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Looting
During the night of 9 March and the early morning of 10 March, there was looting at Avenida San Martín in Caracas; locals tried to drive away the looters. Later that night, tanks of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) traveled through the area without stopping the attempted looting. At 1:30 in the morning, two tanks arrived in the area and fired tear gas bombs at the looters then remained to guard the area. In the early hours, people were looting a supermarket in La Florida, mostly taking liquor and personal hygiene items. A worker at the store said that they found leftover candles, which were presumably used to find entrance to the building. On 10 March, another group tried to loot the supermarket at the La Pirámide shopping center in Baruta Municipality. National Police officers arrested at least 50 people.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Looting
According to Fedecámaras, in only two days, more than 350 stores were looted in the state of Zulia, and The New York Times said 523 stores were looted during the week in Maracaibo. Authorities either responded late or ignored the looting in many cases, and withdrew from most places except one area in the west of Maracaibo, where around 400 people tried to loot until soldiers of the Venezuelan National Guard (GNB) arrived.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Looting
Hundreds of buildings were looted in the city, not only because of a lack of electricity but also a lack of supply of gasoline and drinking water; 70% of the Delicias Norte shopping center was looted, 30 stores in Centro Sambil were looted, and the Curva de Molina sector was completely destroyed. At a bakery in the center of the city a group of people threw a tear gas bomb before looting.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Looting
Businesses in Barcelona, Anzoátegui were looted on 11 March and 29 people were arrested.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Power rationing
On 31 March, Maduro announced a 30-day plan to ration power. The president of Venezuela's Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Association said the power grid was " barely generating between 5,500 and 6,000 megawatts, when it has the capacity to generate 34,000 megawatts". Maduro's administration announced that the workday would be shortened to 2:00 pm, that schools would remain closed, and that access to water would be a priority. On 5 April, Corpoelec published a power rationing schedule, indicating that Caracas and part of Miranda state would not be rationed, and rationing would be implemented in five three-hour blocks for at least 30 days.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Effects, Power rationing
The governor Omar Prieto announced on 9 April that the electricity rationing in the Zulia state would last up to 12 hours per day.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Investigation and arrests
The blackout came in the midst of the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, that started when the National Assembly declared that Nicolás Maduro's 2018 reelection was invalid and the body declared its president, Juan Guaidó, to be acting president of the nation. Maduro's Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab announced an investigation of Guaidó for sabotage of the power grid, alleging he was an "intellectual author" of the "attack".


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Investigation and arrests
Maduro called on the colectivos, saying, "The time has come for active resistance". US State Department special envoy to Venezuela Elliot Abrams labeled this a "breakdown in law and order", and said, "That's calling for armed gangs to take over the streets (...) Perhaps it is a sign of Maduro's lack of confidence in his own security forces." The United States withdrew all embassy personnel from Venezuela.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Investigation and arrests
National Assembly deputy Juan Andrés Mejía announced that the legislature had communicated with and sought assistance from Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Spain, the United States and several Caribbean island countries, and asked that OLADE (Latin American Organization for Energy) send a commission to investigate the cause. Maduro said he would ask Russia, China, Iran and Cuba for help in investigating the cyberattack on the power grid, and that two people had been arrested in connection with the attack.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Investigation and arrests
Between the evening of 11 March and the morning of 12 March, Bolivarian Intelligence Service agents raided the Caracas residence of journalist Luis Carlos Díaz, arrested him, and detained him at El Helicoide, accusing him of instigating the blackout. He was released after a hearing, and was charged with "instigation to commit a crime", was obligated to appear before the courts every eight days, and was prohibited from leaving the country, making declarations to the media or participating in public demonstrations.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Investigation and arrests
Roberto Marrero, Guaidó's chief of staff, was arrested by SEBIN during a raid on his home in the early morning hours of 21 March. He was accused of terrorism and involvement in the blackout. During the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, the US had repeatedly warned Maduro not to go after Guaidó; Haaretz reported that the arrest of Guaidó's number-two person was a test of the US.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Investigation and arrests
A risk consultant for London's IHS Markit, Diego Moya-Ocampos, said to Bloomberg that "the regime is testing the international community and its repeated warnings against laying a hand on Maduro's rival [Guaidó] ... if they can’t touch him, they'll go after those close to him." Nicholas Watson of Teneo Intelligence told The Wall Street Journal that "Marrero's arrest looks like a desperate attempt to break Guaidó's momentum .. The weakness in the regime's position is visible in the fact that arresting Guaidó himself would be seen as a step too far."


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, Second
Two weeks after power was restored from the 7 March blackout, Venezuela was still enduring ongoing power outages; on 25 March, another widespread blackout occurred. The Guardian reported that half the country was affected, and other media sources said 14 to 16 of Venezuela's 23 states were without power. The Caracas Metro shut down, shops closed early to avoid looting, private and government workers were sent home, and 91% of telecommunications were down. Oil exports in Puerto José were halted due to lack of electricity.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, Second
The BBC reported that Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez "had gone on state TV earlier to repeat the now-familiar assertion that opposition sabotage rather than a lack of maintenance had caused the afternoon blackout, saying hackers had attacked computers at the country's main hydroelectric dam." Maduro later claimed that the blackout was caused by a rifle, "probably by a sniper hired by the opposition", causing ridicule from Venezuelans. Guaidó said, "despite the persecution and intimidation, there are honest people in Corpoelec" who inform us about the cause of the outage, which he said was an electrical fault in the San Jerónimo – La Horqueta – La Arenosa line that caused an overload in the substations.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, Second
Rodríguez stated that most of the service was reestablished in record time; power was restored in the evening but went out again during the night. As the blackout continued, businesses were closed for three days, and school and universities were cancelled.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, Second
In the hospitals monitored by the group Physicians for Health (Medicos por la Salud), four patients died because of the blackout. Three were elderly women in Caracas and Maracay, who could not be moved in time to an emergency room because elevators were not working due to the power outage, and one was an elderly man who died in San Cristóbal. Of the hospitals that were monitored, 71% were without water, and 53% had power from generators.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, Second
Most cities had recovered from the blackout by 28 March, and oil exports in Puerto José were restarted.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, End of March–Early April
Intermittent service continued after the first two widespread blackouts. Another blackout started in the evening of 29 March. A fourth blackout occurred on 30 March, at the same time in the evening (7:10 pm local time) as the third, affecting at least 20 states. Classes in schools and universities restarted on 3 April.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, End of March–Early April
On 9 April, power was again out in parts of Caracas and in more than 20 states of the country; this blackout occurred even after a rationing plan was put in place and at places and times where and when the plan called for power to be on. About 90% of the country’s telecommunications infrastructure went offline.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, July
Another major national blackout occurred on the evening of 22 July. Nineteen states were affected. NetBlocks measurements, indicate that only 6% of the country telecommunications remained active. Non -stop state TV transmissions were off the air. Subway transportation was also affected on rush hour traffic. Work and schools were suspended the following day. Maduro's administration reiterated the "electromagnetic attack" allegations as the cause of the blackout. This blackout happened on the eve of an expected public assembly by Juan Guaidó. "They tried to hide the tragedy by rationing supplies across the country, but their failure is evident: they destroyed the system and they don’t have answers," said Guaidó during the blackout.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Sequels, July
Power returned to Caracas the following day. According to the new energy minister, Freddy Brito, power had returned to five of the states on 23 July.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions
The National Assembly declared a state of emergency as an answer to the nationwide blackout.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions
The Lima Group held Maduro entirely responsible for the outage. Declaring that the Group stands in solidarity with "the Venezuelan people [who] have been suffering for years", the Group issued a statement saying the "situation only confirms the existence and magnitude of the humanitarian crisis that the Maduro regime refuses to recognize." The statement said, "Only a legitimate government that emerged from free and democratic elections can carry out the reconstruction of the institutions, infrastructure and economy of the country that Venezuelans need to recover their dignity, the exercise of civic freedoms and the respect of their human rights."


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions
China offered to help restore the electrical system. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said they hoped the cause could be found quickly; without further detail, he said that China had received reports that the power grid had gone down due to a hacking attack and that "China is willing to provide help and technical support to restore Venezuela’s power grid."


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia agrees with Maduro that Western sabotage caused the power outage in Venezuela. She alleged that "it was an attempt to remotely influence control systems at major electrical substations where Canadian-made equipment is installed". President of Bolivia Evo Morales labeled the outage "a cowardly act of terror" and rejected what he called the continuous meddling of the US in Venezuela's affairs. President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the "aggression against Venezuela" and labeled the sabotage a "terrorist attack".


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions
US special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, denied any US responsibility, saying, "This is a multiyear decline in Venezuela. The situation there, due to the mismanagement, the economic policies and the sheer corruption of this regime, are the cause of those problems."


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions
During the second blackout, on 26 March Guaidó said the "blackout shows that the dictator is incapable of finding a solution to the crisis". He criticized that after government officials claimed that the cause of the blackout was a cyberattack, they changed the narrative to claim it was produced by "sabotage", stressing that the electric facilities are heavily militarized. Following the fourth blackout, Guaidó said that he will enlist help from the Japanese government to address the blackouts, and that Japan's many electricity-related companies were prepared to invest in Venezuela to help improve the power situation.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions
Chavista deputy Eduardo Labrador, representing the Maduro government PSUV party in Zulia state, asked in mid-March that Motta Domínguez, in office since 2015, be dismissed as head of Corpoelec. On 1 April, Motta Domínguez was fired and replaced by a 65-year-old electrical engineer, Igor Gavidia León. In May, Gavidia León was replaced with engineer Freddy Brito.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions, Protests
Guaidó "took to the streets" to question Maduro's governance during the first two days of the blackout. According to The New York Times, "Maduro did not address the nation and his public silence has fed the tension gripping Caracas".


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions, Protests
Protests against Maduro in Caracas and other cities were called for 9 March, and went on despite the closure of the Caracas Metro and the lack of social media. The rally headed by Guaidó, took place near the presidential palace in Miraflores; The Washington Post labeled the manifestation as "unusual" as it was held in a sector usually associated with Maduro supporters. Heavy police presence blocked the streets with anti-riot shields.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions, Protests
During the second nationwide blackout, Guaidó summoned new protests that would precede Operation Freedom (Spanish: Operación Libertad), a decisive massive rally through Caracas. According to Guaidó, the goal of the protests is to increase political pressure, but rehearsals are needed as the operation cannot be organized "from one day to the next". After Maduro's government talked about a cybernetic and electromagnetic attack, and about a sniper, Guaidó asked what would be the next version.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions, Protests
Thousands of Venezuelans participated in a rally on Saturday, 30 March, against the recurring blackouts. Guaidó toured around Miranda state and Caracas giving several speeches. A rival pro-Maduro march was held the same day to protest against "imperialism" and in "defense of liberty". Anti -riot police used tear gas against several opposition groups in areas where the Maduro supporters were active. Cacerolazos were reported in Caracas after blackouts resumed on Saturday night.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions, Protests
The next day, protests against the lack of electricity and water occurred in Caracas and other cities. Some of the protests occurred close to the presidential palace. Maduro called again on the colectivos, asking them "to defend the peace of every barrio, of every block". Videos circulated on social media showing colectivos threatening protesters and shooting in the streets;  two protestors were shot. On Sunday night, police fired at protesters after they set burning barricades.


2019 Venezuelan blackouts, Reactions, Public opinion
According to a March poll by Meganálisis, 84.3% of Venezuelans reject the electrical sabotage theory. A poll by Hercon Consultores of 1,000 voters surveyed between 26 March and 4 April 2019 found similar – that 87.5% of Venezuelans reject the theory.


2019 Venezuelan protests
The 2019 Venezuelan protests are a collection of protests that have been organized, since 11 January, as a coordinated effort to remove Nicolás Maduro from the presidency. Demonstrations began following Maduro's controversial second inauguration, developing into a presidential crisis between Maduro and National Assembly president Juan Guaidó. The protests also include counter-demonstrations organized by those who support Maduro.


2019 Venezuelan protests
The protest partially resumed early in 2020, but were suspended due to the arrival of COVID-19 pandemic to Venezuela.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests
The Wall Street Journal reported in a March 2019 article entitled "Maduro loses grip on Venezuela's poor, a vital source of his power" that slums are turning against Maduro and that "many blame government brutality for the shift". Foro Penal said that 50 people—mostly in slums—had been killed by security forces in only the first two months of the year, and 653 had been arrested for protesting or speaking against the government.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests
There have also been rival demonstrations in support of the Bolivarian Revolution, Maduro's government and against foreign intervention.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests
Retired general Hugo Carvajal—the head of Venezuela's military intelligence for ten years during Hugo Chávez's presidency, who served as a National Assembly deputy for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and was considered a pro-Maduro legislator, "one of the government's most prominent figures"—said that Maduro orders the so-called "spontaneous protests" in his favor abroad, and his partners finance them.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, Nicolás Maduro's inauguration
Many Venezuelans did not support the inauguration of Maduro, and held protests across the nation and in the capital city, Caracas. Several cacerolazos were reported across Caracas, including near to where Maduro was being sworn-in. Maduro supporters demonstrated separately. Before the inauguration, the opposition had called on the people to protest during the inauguration, with one protest co-hosted by students led by Rafaela Requesens and Guaidó's Popular Will party, blocking off a road near UCV.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, Open cabildos
Treated as a form of peaceful protest, several open cabildos were held in January 2019. The first of these was on 11 January, held by Guaidó. In the streets of Caracas people gathered to support him.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, January
In anticipation of the protests on 23 January, other violent protests occurred. On 21 January there was a small-scale attempted military mutiny seen as a failed coup. There were 27 soldiers who kidnapped security and stole weapons, trying to march on Miraflores, who fought with and were apprehended by authorities in the early hours. People in the local area continued the fight, protesting and burning things in the street even as tear gas was deployed. Colectivos killed a non-protesting woman in her own doorway, and five others were injured.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, January
According to Venezuelan journalist Francisco Toro for The Washington Post, protests broke out in working-class Caracas neighbourhoods on January 22, which until then had supported Maduro. These resulted in the death of a 16-year-old boy by gunshot. Other protests happened in the large Bolívar state, where three people were killed and a statue of Hugo Chávez set alight and broken in half before the head and torso were hung like a trophy from a public bridge.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, January, 23 January
Announced at the 11 January open cabildo, a series of protest marches drawing crowds which were reported by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal editorial board, and Yeshiva World News from hundreds of thousands to millions of Venezuelans, 23 January protests – on the anniversary of the 1958 Venezuelan coup d'état that overthrew dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez – were the flagship event hoping to force Maduro to step down. United States Vice President Mike Pence sent a video of support to the nation on this day. Similarly, Juan Guaidó and his wife Fabiana Rosales sent separate videos to the military of Venezuela, asking for them to "not shoot at us".


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, January, 23 January
Before the protest began, the Venezuelan National Guard used tear gas on gathering crowds at other locations. Another area of the capital was blocked off at Plaza Venezuela, a large main square, with armored vehicles and riot police on hand before protesters arrived. Photographic reports showed that some protests grew violent, resulting in injuries to both protesters and security. By the end of the day, at least 13 people were killed.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, January, 23 January
Cofavic interviewed witnesses who said that special forces killed five youths who had attended protests supporting the opposition.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, January, 23 January
During the evening hours, President of the Constituent Assembly Diosdado Cabello called on Maduro supporters to hold a vigil surrounding Miraflores Palace, though no one attended the event.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, January, 23 January
The Redes Foundation denounced in the Colombian Public Ministry that armed groups made up of National Liberation Army members and FARC dissidents, supported by the Bolivarian National Police and FAES officials, killed two Venezuelans, Eduardo José Marrero and Luigi Ángel Guerrero, during a protest in the frontier city of San Cristóbal, on Táchira state. Other protesters were injured during the shooting.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, January, 23 January
A few days later, Michelle Bachelet of the United Nations expressed concern that the violence during the protests could spiral out of control, and requested a UN investigation into the security forces' use of violence.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, February
On 2 February opposition demonstrations filled the Las Mercedes Avenue in Caracas. The theme of the protests was to demand the entry of humanitarian aid into Venezuela, with hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans participating to show support for Guaidó. According to La Patilla, which provided satellite images, Maduro supporters participated in smaller counter-demonstrations on the same day at the same time.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, February
At least 285 were injured and 14 were killed in the clashes on 23 February 2019.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April
Guaidó "took to the streets" to question Maduro's governance during the first two days of a nationwide blackout. According to The New York Times, "Maduro did not address the nation and his public silence has fed the tension gripping Caracas".


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April
Protests against Maduro in Caracas and other cities were called for 9 March, and went on despite the closure of the Caracas Metro and the lack of social media. The rally headed by Guaidó, took place near the presidential palace in Miraflores; The Washington Post labeled the manifestation as "unusual" as it was held in a sector usually associated with Maduro supporters. Heavy police presence blocked the streets with anti-riot shields.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, Call for Operation Freedom
Guaidó announced on 16 March that he would embark on a tour of the country to organize committees for what he called "Operation Freedom"  (Spanish: Operación Libertad) with the goal to claim the presidential residence, Miraflores Palace. From the first rally in Carabobo state, he said, "We will be in each state of Venezuela and for each state we have visited the responsibility will be yours, the leaders, the united, [to] organize ourselves in freedom commands."


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, Call for Operation Freedom
During the second wave of nationwide blackouts, Guaidó summoned new protests that would precede a decisive massive rally through Caracas. According to Guaidó, the goal of the protests is to increase political pressure, but rehearsals are needed as the operation cannot be organized "from one day to the next”. Thousands of Venezuelans participated in a rally on 30 March, against the recurring blackouts. Guaidó toured around Miranda state and Caracas giving several speeches. Anti -riot police used tear gas against several opposition groups in areas where the Maduro supporters were active.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, Call for Operation Freedom
Cacerolazos were reported in Caracas after blackouts resumed on Saturday night. The next day, protests against the lack of electricity and water occurred in Caracas and other cities. Some of the protests occurred close to the presidential palace. Maduro called again on the colectivos, asking them to “to defend the peace of every barrio, of every block”. Videos circulated on social media showing colectivos threatening protesters and shooting in the streets; two protesters were shot. On Sunday night, police fired at protesters after they set burning barricades.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, Call for Operation Freedom
On 6 April, rallies were called by Juan Guaidó in more than 300 points around the country. Tens of thousands of Venezuelans denounced the lack of electricity and protested against Maduro's presidency, who they hold responsible for the economic crisis. Guaidó met the protesters at the main rally in El Marqués district of Caracas. In Maracaibo, the second largest city of Venezuela, protests were dispersed by police forces with tear gas and rubber bullets. El Nacional reported how tear gas was thrown from helicopters. Two lawmakers were also briefly detained in Maracaibo.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, Call for Operation Freedom
The same day, Maduro called a rival march. Thousands of protesters, mostly state workers, met at the center of Caracas. Maduro called for "understanding [that] we are in a true electrical emergency, a true national emergency.”


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, Call for Operation Freedom
In a public speech on 19 April in Caracas, Guaidó called for a "definite end of the usurpation" and the "largest march in history" on 1 May.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, Call for Operation Freedom
Guaidó continued to rally around the country for support. Armed forces and Maduro supporters have sometimes used roadblocks to avoid Guaidó's arrival to other cities. On 27 April, Guaidó had to cancel a rally in Barquisimeto because he was unable to get there.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, 30 April
On 30 April 2019, Leopoldo López—held under house arrest by the Maduro administration—was freed on orders from Guaidó. The two men, flanked by members of the Venezuelan armed forces near La Carlota Air Force Base in Caracas, announced an uprising, stating that this was the final phase of Operation Freedom. Guaidó said: "People of Venezuela, it is necessary that we go out together to the street, to support the democratic forces and to recover our freedom. Organized and together, mobilize the main military units. People of Caracas, all to La Carlota".


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, 30 April
Maduro was not seen during the day, but he appeared with his Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López on that evening's televised broadcast, and announced he would replace Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, the Director General of Venezuela's National Intelligence Service, SEBIN, who had broken with Maduro during the uprising.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, March–April, 30 April
By the end of the day, one protester had died, and López was at the Spanish embassy, while 25 military personnel sought asylum in the Brazilian embassy in Caracas. CNN reported that the "uprising faltered, having apparently failed to gain the support of senior members of the Venezuelan military".


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, May
Thousands to tens of thousands of supporters showed up for demonstrations on 1 May for Guaidó. Guaidó's call for the largest march in history did not materialize and his supporters were forced to retreat by security forces using tear gas. Colectivos fired on protesters with live ammunition, and one protester was shot in the head and killed. Human Rights Watch "said it believed that security forces fired shotgun pellets at demonstrators and journalists". Guaidó acknowledged he had received insufficient military backing, but added that "Maduro did not have the support nor the respect of the Armed Forces", and called for strikes beginning on 2 May, with the aim of a general strike later in the month.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, May
In the pro-Maduro counter rally, most supporters were from the public sector and many were brought from the interior of the country by bus. The Washington Post reported about 500 supporters, while The New York Times reported "thousands".


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, May
As of 2 May, there were 230 wounded in the protests, 205 arrests, and four dead. The Supreme Tribunal of Justice issued an arrest warrant for López on 2 May, who exited the gates of the Spanish Embassy, to speak with reporters, saying that Maduro's days are numbered. Maduro appeared at an army base to praise the loyalty of the forces.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, May
On 4 May, Guaidó organized a peaceful march that was aimed to encourage more FANB defectors. The opposition leader later acknowledged that this march (including previous protests) did not have a sufficient outcome, and that he had "overestimated military support". During an interview with The Washington Post, Guaidó stated that he would consider a U.S. military intervention should the time arise.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, May
On 11 May, Guaidó organized another march in Caracas, with a turnout of around a thousand Venezuelans. During the rally, Guaidó asked his ambassador appointed to the United States, Carlos Vecchio, to start a dialog with the US Southern Command.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, May
The Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict (OVCS - Spanish: Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social), registered 1541 protests in the country during the month of May. As of June, OCVS and Provea have registered 60 protesters killed in rallies in the last five months.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, June–July
Hundreds protested in front of the United Nations office in Caracas during the 22 June, the last day of the visit of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) chief, Michelle Bachelet. Mostly denouncing the human rights abuses carried out by Maduro administration, including extrajudicial killings,  political arrests and detained journalists. Gilber Caro–a National Assembly member who was arrested in April and was released two days before the visit–joined the crowd. Protesters invited Bachelet to visit Maracaibo, a city that has collapsed under constant blackouts, fuel shortages and problems with security and health services. One of the chants during the protests included “Maduro is Pinochet”, referring to Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, who jailed and tortured Bachelet and members of her family, killing her father. Some protesters held signs calling for the release of Juan Requesens, arrested in August 2018.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, June–July
After three months of cooking gas shortages in La Fría, Táchira, a local protest broke out on 2 July. According to witnesses, officers fired at the crowd without warning. The 16-year-old Rufo Chacón, a bystander, was permanently blinded after being hit by over 52 buckshot pellets to his face at point blank range. Two police officers were investigated for injuring Chacón and attacking other protesters.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, June–July
Guaidó called for nationwide protests to challenge Maduro's military parade on the Fifth of July, the independence day of Venezuela. A few thousands joined the rally in Caracas and marched to the DGCIM headquarters where days later a navy captain Rafael Acosta Arévalo was tortured to death. According to Guaidó's team, security forces were present on 15% of the 89 anti-Maduro demonstrations. No clashes were reported. Students, family and members of the clergy were present.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, June–July
The president of the 2017 Constituent National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, held a rally in Caracas in opposition to the OCHR report. His supporters describe the report is inaccurate and biased.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, June–July
A small demonstration was carried out in front of the UN office in Caracas on 15 July, to protest against the DGCIM for their torture against detainees.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, November
In November, Guaidó called for the return of the protests. On 16 November, nationwide rallies were carried out with a turnout of thousands of supporters in Caracas and in Maracaibo. "Today, tomorrow and Monday — we will be in the streets", said Guaidó in his speech in the Altamira district in Caracas, mentioning the 18 days of protests that prompted Bolivian president Evo Morales to resign during 2019 Bolivian political crisis. Guaidó guided his supporters to the Bolivian embassy. The rallies were peaceful, anti-riot security forces covered the perimeter without throwing any tear gas canisters. According to reports, protest participation had a low turnout compared to earlier in the year.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, November
The Maduro administration organized a counter-protest in the center of Caracas in solidarity to Evo Morales. Thousands of Morales' Venezuelan supporters wearing red shirts arrived in buses. Maduro did not participate and only addressed the crowd through state TV.


2019 Venezuelan protests, National protests, December
In a December poll by Venezuelan pollster Meganalisis, those surveyed were asked if they would go to the streets if Guaidó or the National Assembly called for protests. According to respondents, 84.8% would not protest, 10.9% would protest and 4.2% were unsure if they would protest.


2019 Venezuelan protests, Abroad
During the presidential crisis, the United States government ended diplomatic relations with the Nicolás Maduro administration and recognized Juan Guaidó as the acting president of Venezuela. On 10 April, after the Maduro administration retired his diplomats from the embassy of Venezuela in Washington, activists from Code Pink, a US anti-war group, received keycards from the diplomats and moved into the building. The group secured all entrances with chains and locks. Carlos Vecchio, Guaidó's ambassador appointed to the US, tried to gain access to the building. The US government considers the embassy as property of Guaidó's interim government.


2019 Venezuelan protests, Abroad
For several days, pro-Guaidó protesters gathered outside the building trying to prevent the US activists from continuing to occupy the building. Clashes in May 2019 between US activists of the group and Venezuelan demonstrators resulted in arrests on both sides. US authorities issued an eviction notice on the group on May 14. The four remaining activists were removed from the embassy by US authorities on 16 May.


2019 Venezuelan protests, Abroad
At the end of July 2019, some members of Code Pink that occupied the embassy visited Venezuela during the Foro de São Paulo. Maduro posed for pictures with the group and rewarded them with gifts, including a book on Simón Bolívar and a replica of Bolivar's sword.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt
On 30 April, during the Venezuelan presidential crisis, a group of several dozen military personnel and civilians joined Juan Guaidó in his call for an uprising against Nicolás Maduro as part of what he labeled "Operation Freedom" (Spanish: Operación Libertad). Reuters reported an "uneasy peace" by the afternoon of 30 April. During the uprising attempt, opposition leader Leopoldo López was freed from house arrest after being imprisoned for five years. The head of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service, Manuel Cristopher Figuera denounced the Maduro government and was dismissed from his position before going into hiding. At least 25 military men who opposed Maduro sought asylum at the Brazilian embassy in Caracas.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt
Maduro expelled 54 members from the military and the head of intelligence who publicly backed Guaidó. Regional and international media concluded that the uprising had failed, with CNN reporting that it "faltered, having apparently failed to gain the support of senior members of the Venezuelan military". Guaidó also acknowledged he had received insufficient military support and stated that protests would be held every day until Maduro stepped down from power. Guaidó called for his supporters and the country's armed forces to take to the streets again the following day.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt
As of 2 May, four people were killed in the ensuing clashes between opposition protesters and militants on one side, and pro-government protesters and the Venezuelan armed forces on the other. Some National Assembly members had their immunity lifted and were indicted afterwards; several of those indicted, and those who were not went into hiding. Additionally, the National Assembly vice-president Edgar Zambrano was later arrested.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
A power struggle concerning who is the legitimate President of Venezuela began on 10 January 2019, when the opposition-majority National Assembly declared that incumbent Nicolás Maduro's 2018 re-election was invalid; that the office of the President of Venezuela was therefore vacant; and declared its president, Juan Guaidó, to be acting president of the nation. As of May 2019, Guaidó has been recognized as the interim president of Venezuela by 54 countries, including the United States and most nations of Latin America and Europe. Internationally, support has followed usual geopolitical lines: Russia, China, Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Cuba support Maduro, while the United States, Canada, and most of Europe and Latin America support Guaidó as interim president.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
The process and results of the May 2018 Venezuelan presidential election were widely disputed. The National Assembly declared Maduro illegitimate on the day of his second inauguration, citing the 1999 Constitution of Venezuela enacted under Hugo Chávez, Maduro's predecessor; in response, the pro-Maduro Supreme Tribunal of Justice said the National Assembly's declaration was unconstitutional. Minutes after Maduro took the oath as president of Venezuela on 10 January 2019, the Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution in a special session of its Permanent Council declaring Maduro's presidency illegitimate and urging new elections. Special meetings of the OAS on 24 January and in the United Nations Security Council on 26 January were held but no consensus was reached. Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres called for dialogue.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
Maduro's government states that the crisis is a "coup d'état led by the United States to topple him and control the country's oil reserves". Guaidó denies the coup allegations, saying peaceful volunteers back his movement.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
Guaidó announced on 16 March 2019 that he would embark on a tour of the country to organize committees for what he called "Operation Freedom" with the goal to claim the presidential residence, Miraflores Palace. From the first rally in Carabobo state, he said, "We will be in each state of Venezuela and for each state we have visited the responsibility will be yours, the leaders, the united, [to] organize ourselves in freedom commands."


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
In an open assembly celebrating the anniversary of the 19 April 1810 date when the Venezuelan Independence Movement began, Guaidó offered the example that organized protests in Sudan led to the replacement of Omar al-Bashir, and called for "the greatest march" in history on 1 May, to "once and for all end this tragedy". Coinciding with his speech, NetBlocks stated that state-run CANTV again blocked access to social media in Venezuela.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
United States National Security Adviser John R. Bolton indicated in a press conference that Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, Supreme Court president Maikel Moreno, and the head of Maduro's Presidential Guard, Iván Hernández Dala had been talking with the opposition over the last three months about a peaceful transition, and had agreed that Maduro needed to go.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
Juan Forero reported that more than a dozen sources close to the negotiations told The Wall Street Journal that meetings between key opposition figures and Maduro government officials had taken place in Panama, the Dominican Republic and Colombia for two months, "trying to cut a deal for a peaceful transfer of power" that was not to be accomplished via a military coup, "but rather through a court ruling that would permit the military to step away from Mr. Maduro and put the country on a path back to democracy".


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Supreme Court, of which Moreno is the highest official, "was to recognize the opposition-controlled National Assembly, the last democratically elected body in Venezuela, as the legitimate representative of the Venezuelan people. The armed forces would then have legal grounds to abandon Mr. Maduro. The defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, and others who were negotiating with the opposition, would join the new government."


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
When Leopoldo López and Guaidó called for an uprising a day early, support was withdrawn for unclear reasons; Forero writes, "It isn't known whether they [pulled out of the pact] because counterintelligence agents had discovered the plot or because key actors on the government side never had any intention of pulling their support for Mr. Maduro."


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
Anthony Faiola reports a similar account in The Washington Post, based on extensive interviews with three unnamed sources, who indicated that "the plotters were counting on Moreno to provide a vital lever to sway the military to their cause: a legal ruling that would have effectively acknowledged Guaidó as interim president and led to new elections".


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
The Washington Post says it saw the draft ruling which was to be issued on 29 April by the Supreme Court; the ruling would withdraw recognition of the pro-Maduro Constituent National Assembly, reinstate the opposition-majority National Assembly ("widely recognized internationally as Venezuela's only democratic institution"), call for elections, and make provisions for political prisoners. With the Supreme Court issuing this ruling, the armed forces would have a legal basis to "force Maduro to step down without a single bullet being fired", in a "sequenced chain of official statements" that was not meant to be a coup.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
According to the sources, Moreno suggested that he be the person to replace Maduro, and inquired about security for himself and his family. Manuel Cristopher Figuera, the Director General of Venezuela's National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), supplied information, according to this account, at 1 am on 30 April that he was to be replaced as head of SEBIN, Leopoldo López was to be sent back to prison, and the "government was preparing to take unspecified action against Guaidó and other senior opposition leaders". The opposition decided to act on 30 April instead of 1 May.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
Venezuelan investigative journal Armando.Info and The Wall Street Journal reported that Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín was involved in the plot for his close connection to Moreno, Padrino López and counter-intelligence chief Iván Hernández. After the events of 30 April, Christopher Figuera fled to the US and declared in an interview with The Washington Post, that Gorrín was the one that approached US authorities with the plan in order to have the sanctions on him lifted. César Omaña, another Venezuelan businessman living in Miami, was the one that contacted Cristopher Figuera to recruit him, according to the interview.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
Omaña has not been sanctioned and had close ties with Hugo Chávez daughters and senior Maduro officials. Omaña and Christopher Figuera started a series of negotiations, parallel to Gorrín's plan to convince Moreno. Moreno had demanded ten million dollars, to secure his position in the Supreme Court, and a safety net for himself. The plotters carried code names, Christopher Figuera was "Black Panther", Omaña was "Superman" and Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. National Security Council's director for Latin American policy, was "Child eater" (Spanish: Comeniños), according to the interview.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
Opposition officials said that the plan was moved from 1 May to 30 April because Guaidó might be arrested, Christopher Figuera denies it. Christopher Figuera claims that he was the one who accelerated the timetable to avoid a large scale attack of paramilitary forces (colectivos) that was prepared for the 1st May. According to Christopher Figuera, Padrino López was against moving forward the date. Maduro, Moreno and Padrino López have denied publicly their role in the plot.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Background
After Leopoldo López left Venezuela in October 2020, he reaffirmed Maikel Moreno's involvement in the operation.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Release of López and call for uprising
At 2:00 am VET, lieutenant colonel Illich Sánchez of the Bolivarian National Guard, gathered his troops, stating "When I gathered my troops ... and told them we were going to liberate Venezuela they broke down in tears". Sánchez was the commander of 500 troops throughout Caracas who were tasked with protecting government buildings such as Miraflores Palace, and the Palacio Federal Legislativo. Shortly after, Sánchez's troops freed opposition leader Leopoldo López — Guaidó's mentor and Venezuela's "most prominent opposition activist", according to the Associated Press — who had been under house arrest since 2014.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Release of López and call for uprising
At approximately 5:00 am, large vehicles accompanied by members of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela blocked portions of the Francisco Fajardo Highway. At 5:46 am VET, Guaidó live-streamed a video on Periscope of himself beside López, with the two flanked by members of the Venezuelan armed forces from the Altamira Overpass, near La Carlota Air Force Base in Caracas. Guaidó titled the initiative "Operation Freedom", and stated: "People of Venezuela, it is necessary that we go out together to the street, to support the democratic forces and to recover our freedom. Organized and together, mobilize the main military units. People of Caracas, all to La Carlota".


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Release of López and call for uprising
López, his wife Lilian Tintori and their daughter would later enter the Chilean embassy in Caracas, and move again to the Spanish embassy for protection.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Release of López and call for uprising
After Guaidó's announcement, NetBlocks reported that multiple social media and news websites were censored by the state-run CANTV internet provider. The internet outage was similar to the regular disruptions that have occurred in other important political conflicts in 2019. The signal of BBC World News and CNN would also be taken off the air, and the local radio station Radio Caracas Radio was broken into and shut down by the telecommunications authority.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Clashes
Minister of Information Jorge Rodríguez released a statement by 6:30 am that the Maduro government was beginning to disperse forces loyal to Guaidó. At the same time, access to Miraflores Palace was barricaded, and forces loyal to Maduro took up positions in the surrounding area. Military forces loyal to Guaidó outfitted their uniforms with blue cloth.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Clashes
At 6:44 am, tear gas fired from troops within La Carlota Air Force Base dispersed some forces loyal to Guaidó near the facility. Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, called for supporters to gather at Miraflores Palace to defend Maduro.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Clashes
Guaidó left the area near La Carlota around 8:00 am, leading a march heading west. Valentín Santana, leader of La Piedrita colectivo, stated at 8:30 am that "it was time to defend the revolution with weapons", calling for support of Maduro. At approximately 8:39 am, heavy gunfire erupted as pro-Maduro armed colectivos fired rounds while riding motorbikes near La Carlota.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Clashes
Pro -Guaidó protesters attempted to enter the main gate of La Carlota at 9:10 am. The Caracas Metro ceased operations at 9:15 am citing security reasons. Forces loyal to Maduro dispersed protesters from the gates of La Carlota at 9:43 am.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Clashes
At 11:00 am, Maduro's Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab spoke on state-run television saying that Guaidó and his supporters would face "consequences". A National Guardsman loyal to Maduro was injured by a gunshot to the neck at 11:08 am. By 11:12 am, protesters near La Carlota begin to largely disperse and injured begin to appear in clinics minutes later. At 11:42 am, armored VN-4s driven by Maduro loyalists begin to attack protesters, with some protesters being run over by the vehicles.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Clashes
Following a speech at noon, Guaidó turned his group of protesters, along with armed National Guardsmen loyal to Guaidó, towards western Caracas where numerous government facilities and the Miraflores presidential palace is located. The march in support of Guaidó halted in Chacao around 1:41 pm after armed colectivos emerged from the Ministry of Transportation building, firing upon the demonstration. A woman was wounded by the gunfire. Minutes later, officers of the Miranda State Police and Chacao Municipal Police confronted the colectivos with a gunfight ensuing. The following day, the police officers that confronted the colectivos were ordered to hand over their service weapons and informed that an investigation by a police oversight body against them was opened.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Uprising dissolves
Minor clashes occurred throughout the day following the dispersal of the march. News that the National Guard blocked the march from progressing and that López's family had sought refuge in the Embassy of Chile resulted with protests dissipating. By the evening hours, only small groups of protesters persisted in Caracas.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Events, Uprising dissolves
As Guaidó loyalists learned that high-ranking officials close to Maduro refused to turn, confusion began to spread. Rebels under command of lieutenant colonel Sánchez began to seek refuge as the plan failed. Troops then removed their uniforms while traveling throughout Caracas on motorcycle, knocking on the doors of foreign embassies asking for protection. López was then able to contact President Juan Carlos Varela of Panama, who granted 16 troops loyal to Guaidó permission to stay at Panama's embassy in Caracas. The group would stay in the embassy for the next seven months until they were released during a "military operation" performed by friendly troops in December 2019, which resulted in the group fleeing from the country.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath
On the evening of 30 April, Maduro addressed the nation from Miraflores Palace, accompanied by high-level officials of his government and the armed forces. Maduro stated that an attempted "coup d'etat" occurred and congratulated supporters who "led the defeat of the small group that tried to fill Venezuela with violence". According to Maduro, the day's events were caused by "the obsessive efforts of the Venezuelan right, the Colombian oligarchy and the US empire".


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath
In the days after the event, Guaidó would concede that the opposition's plan had not worked and that they had mistaken their support from the military and high-level officials, stating "Maybe because we still need more soldiers, maybe we need more officials of the regime to be willing to support it, to back the constitution, ... I think the variables are obvious at this point".


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath
Guaidó would further state that protests and calls for defections would continue, saying that the opposition has "been doing this for 20 years" and that "[g]etting frustrated and tired is part of it, but Venezuelans have demonstrated that they always take the fight again when they have to". CNN reported that the "uprising faltered, having apparently failed to gain the support of senior members of the Venezuelan military".


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath
On the other hand, Leopoldo López stated that his liberation was only the first step from a phase that was ongoing and had no turning back. Some members of Venezuela's opposition have held López responsible for the failure of the uprising, saying that his unexpected act of appearing in front of the media during the event was an unhelpful performance to construct a positive public image and that it disrupted detailed plans, scaring away possible defectors.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and casualties
Demonstrators protested "across the nation" on 30 April, with violence in more than five states, and demonstrations in every state. Vladimir Padrino, Maduro's Defense Minister, stated that the government was prepared to use weapons if necessary to deactivate the "attempted coup".


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and casualties
A National Guard armoured personnel carrier ran over protesters, captured on video "accelerating directly into a group of antigovernment protesters". By the end of 30 April, over 100 had been injured; the majority were hit by rubber bullets, and two had gunshot wounds. Salud Chacao reported having attended 69 injured. One 25-year-old man died when he was shot in the chest during a protest in the interior state of Aragua. The Maduro government stated that five National Guardsmen and police officers were injured. A physician in a Caracas clinic stated that they had enough medical supplies for emergency care, partly because of recent efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the country.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and casualties
The NGO Foro Penal denounced the arrests of military personnel as forced disappearances; security forces have refused to give information to their relatives and lawyers.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and casualties
In May 2019, Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) ordered the prosecution of seven National Assembly members for their actions during the uprising attempt. The National Assembly dismissed the sentence, holding that the members of the Tribunal are illegitimate and that their ruling violates the parliamentary immunity of the deputies. National Assembly vice president Edgar Zambrano was arrested on 8 May, signaling a crackdown following the uprising attempt.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and casualties
With these seven deputies charged with "treason, conspiracy, instigation of insurrection, civil rebellion, criminal conspiracy, usurpation of functions, and public instigation to the disobedience of the laws", an El País article stated that the Venezuelan parliament, elected to a majority in the 2015 elections, has been "systematically blocked" and dismembered by "political persecution" of 60% of its elected members. There was no preliminary merit hearing as required by law; an additional three deputies were indicted without a preliminary merit hearing.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and casualties
The recently sanctioned members sough refuge in foreign embassies. Richard Blanco from Fearless People's Alliance (Spanish: Alianza Bravo Pueblo) entered Argentina's embassy on 9 May. Hours later, Américo De Grazia from Radical Cause (Spanish: La Causa Radical)  sought refuge at Italy's embassy, according to three sources close to him. Mariela Magallanes also took refuge in the Italian embassy.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Defections
Manuel Cristopher Figuera publicly criticized Maduro and corruption in his government, yet recognized him as president and a "good man" ("un hombre bueno"). Cristopher Figuera stated that Diosdado Cabello, Delcy Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, Tareck El Aissami, Maikel Moreno and Vladimir Padrino López continued supporting Maduro in order to maintain their power and status. After the uprising attempt, he was dismissed by Maduro and his whereabouts were unknown. Maduro announced he would reinstate Gustavo González López as the SEBIN head.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Defections
While he was under house arrest, Leopoldo López reportedly held meetings with military and high-level officials close to Maduro, allegedly promising them that they would maintain some positions in a transitional government and would not face criminal prosecution if they assisted with the removal of Maduro. Some suggested that these officials served as double agents in order to support Maduro and disrupt the rebellion attempt.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Defections
Maduro expelled from the military 54 members, in addition to Cristopher Figuera, who backed Guaidó, among them, "five lieutenant coronels, four majors, four captains, six first lieutenants and 35 sergeants"; 25 military personnel sought asylum in the Brazilian embassy in Caracas. According to Voice of America, experts in the United States believe that "there is still a long way to go" for Guaidó to find support among the armed forces, stating that the Atlantic Council described the defection of National Guardsmen as "significant, but insufficient".


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Foreign intervention
Unnamed sources told CNN that the United States Department of State was caught off guard by Guaidó's decision to launch the "final phase" a day earlier than expected. US President Donald Trump has expressed frustration that "some aides are more openly teasing military intervention", according to CNN, and expressed skepticism about the reliability of US intelligence that suggested that senior Maduro allies were preparing to defect.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Foreign intervention
Bolton stated that Cuba and Russia had likely helped prop Maduro up during the day, and U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bring the "highest-level" sanctions on Cuba for their alleged role. The New York Times wrote that Bolton "said important officials in the Maduro administration have been in communication with the opposition and had committed to achieving the transfer of power from Mr. Maduro to Mr. Guaidó", despite Moreno and Padrino both speaking out in support of Maduro.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Foreign intervention
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that Russia stopped plans underway for Maduro to exit Venezuela; Pompeo said Maduro had a plane waiting on the tarmac to take him to Cuba, but Russia convinced him to stay. Maduro, Russia and some members of the opposition denied that Maduro had attempted to flee from Venezuela, with the Russian Foreign Ministry stating that, "Washington tried its best to demoralize the Venezuelan army and now use[s] fakes as a part of information war". On 1 May, Pompeo stated "Military action is possible. If that's what's required, that's what the United States will do". CNN reported that the Trump administration is seeking ways to give Guaidó control of more Venezuelan assets in the U.S., to help get funding and humanitarian aid to the country.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Demonstrations
A second day of protests occurred, in support of both Maduro and Guaidó, with the two leaders drawing in large numbers of Venezuelans.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Demonstrations
Judge Marisela Godoy walked out of a Venezuela Supreme Court (TSJ) hearing on 1 May that was to rule on the events of 30 April without the justices having access to the content of the ruling; Godoy said this had become a customary process in the TSJ, and she encouraged her colleagues to protest.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Demonstrations
Thousands to tens of thousands of supporters showed up for demonstrations on 1 May for Guaidó. A smaller number attended Maduro's rival protest. According to The New York Times, most Maduro supporters "appeared to be retirees or public sector workers" and many were "brought in from across the country by public buses". According to the BBC, "For years, state employees have been told that if they did not turn up at government rallies, they would lose their jobs." The protests supporting Maduro were mainly working-class Venezuelans. During a speech, Guaidó called for continued protests in the coming days and the possibility of a general strike. The National Guard dispersed many pro-Guaidó demonstrations at their starting points.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Demonstrations
Guaidó's call for the largest march in history did not materialize and his supporters were forced to retreat by security forces using tear gas. Colectivos fired on protestors with live ammunition, and one protester was shot in the head and killed. Human Rights Watch "said it believed that security forces fired shotgun pellets at demonstrators and journalists". Guaidó acknowledged he had received insufficient military backing, but added that "Maduro did not have the support nor the respect of the Armed Forces", and called for strikes beginning on 2 May, with the aim of a general strike later in the month. Russia and the U.S. each charged the other with interference in another country's affairs.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Demonstrations
As of 2 May, there were 230 wounded in the protests, and 205 arrests. Four people had been killed—all were shot. The TSJ issued an arrest warrant for López on 2 May, who exited the gates of the Spanish Embassy, with his wife Lilian Tintori, to speak with reporters, saying that Maduro's days are numbered. Maduro appeared at an army base to praise the loyalty of the forces.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Demonstrations
More protests and rallies were held during May; Guaidó acknowledged that he had "overestimated military support". During an interview with The Washington Post, he stated that he would consider a U.S. military intervention should the time arise.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Demonstrations
On 11 May, Guaidó organized another march in Caracas, with a turnout of around a thousand Venezuelans. During the rally, Guaidó asked his ambassador appointed to the United States, Carlos Vecchio, to start a dialog with the US Southern Command.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Simonovis release
Iván Simonovis—a former police commissioner arrested in November 2004 and accused by the Hugo Chávez government of the violence that took place in Caracas during the April 2002 Llaguno Overpass events—left house arrest on 17 May. Guaidó said that security forces loyal to him released Simonovis. Guaidó claims that the order was sent on 30 April and that Simonovis was pardoned and freed as part of Operation Freedom. One month later, Simonovis arrived in the United States.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Reception
In a May poll by Datanálisis, 39% of respondents said that the events of 30 April were beneficial for Guaidó, about 29% said that the events strengthened Maduro, and the rest were undecided. Half of respondents viewed Guaidó's actions as legitimate. One in three considered the event a coup d'état. 49% judged the release of Leopoldo López as positive, while about 16% judged it as negative.


2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Aftermath, Reception
By the end of 2019, The Washington Post considered the event as one of the greatest failures of Guaidó's movement. According to the newspaper, officials in the United States and the Venezuelan opposition have referred to the uprising as "Venezuela's Bay of Pigs".


2019 Verrazzano Open
The 2019 Verrazzano Open was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2019 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Sophia Antipolis, France between 1 and 7 April 2019.


2019 Verrazzano Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Verrazzano Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received entry into the singles main draw using their ITF World Tennis Ranking:


2019 Verrazzano Open – Doubles
Tristan Lamasine and Franko Škugor were the defending champions but only Lamasine chose to defend his title, partnering Enzo Couacaud. Lamasine lost in the final to Thiemo de Bakker and Robin Haase.


2019 Verrazzano Open – Doubles
De Bakker and Haase won the title after defeating Couacaud and Lamasine 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2019 Verrazzano Open – Singles
Aljaž Bedene was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2019 Verrazzano Open – Singles
Dustin Brown won the title after defeating Filip Krajinović 6–3, 7–5 in the final.


2019 Victoria Tri-Series
The 2019 Victoria Tri-Series was a Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket tournament held in Uganda.


2019 Victoria Tri-Series
The series took place from 6 to 10 April 2019, with all matches played at the Lugogo Cricket Oval in Kampala. The participating teams were the women's national sides of Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe. These were the first matches played by Kenya Women to have WT20I status after the International Cricket Council announced that all matches played between women's teams of Associate Members after 1 July 2018 would have full T20I status. The tournament provided all three teams with some preparation for the 2019 ICC Women's Qualifier Africa. Zimbabwe defeated Uganda in the final by 25 runs.


2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election
An election to elect representatives to the First Peoples' Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria occurred in 2019. The election filled seats to the body which was charged with the responsibility of preparing for negotiations with the Government of Victoria about a treaty with the state's Aboriginal population.


2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election
The voting period was 16 September to 20 October 2019. Only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Victoria and at least 16 years of age were eligible to vote in the election. However, only 7% of the eligible voters turned out to vote.


2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election, Background
In June 2018 the Victorian Parliament passed legislation to create a framework for negotiating a treaty with Aboriginal people. The legislation was supported by the Labor Government and the Greens, though not by the two opposition parties, the Liberal and National parties. The legislation included provisions to create an Aboriginal representative body and its implementation was overseen by the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission chaired by Jill Gallagher. The lead-up to the vote was not without controversy, as it occurred amidst the Andrews Labor Government's planned duplication of the Western Highway near Ararat. The duplication plans included a proposal to disrupt a cultural site with trees sacred to Aboriginal people in the area. A protest on the steps of Parliament House included protesters with signs saying "no trees, no treaty".


2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election, Assembly
The Assembly was filled by 32 representatives, the majority of which were elected in five regions; 9 from Melbourne region, 3 from Western Victoria region, 3 from North-Western region, 3 from Northern region, and 3 from Eastern region. A further 11 seats were reserved for formally recognised Traditional Owner Groups. 73 people nominated for the Assembly and approximately 30,000 people were eligible to vote. To vote, eligible voters were first required to enrol online and provide evidence of identity, age and residence. Voting opened on 16 September and closed on 20 October 2019, and voters could cast a ballot online, by post or at one of 43 polling booths across Victoria.


2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election, Assembly
Once elected, the Assembly was not responsible for negotiating a treaty or multiple treaties with the Victorian government on behalf of Aboriginal clans and nations. Instead the Assembly's primary responsibilities were to:


2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election, Results
The 21 elected candidates were announced on 4 November 2019. Seven days later the commission announced the 11 people appointed by formally recognised Traditional Owner groups (termed Registered Aboriginal Parties or Traditional Owner Corporations) to a reserved seat on the Assembly.


2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election, Results
The first meeting of the Assembly took place on 10 December 2019 at Parliament House, Melbourne.


2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election, Results
1 seat unfilled, because the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation were entitled to appoint a member but did not do so. Note that seat holders may have ancestry from multiple First Nations.


2019 Vietnam Open (badminton)
The 2019 Vietnam Open (officially known as the Yonex-Sunrise Vietnam Open 2019 for sponsorship reasons) was a badminton tournament which took place at Nguyen Du Cultural Sports Club in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 10 to 15 September 2019 and had a total purse of $75,000.


2019 Vietnam Open (badminton), Tournament
The 2019 Vietnam Open was the seventh Super 100 tournament of the 2019 BWF World Tour and also part of the Vietnam Open championships, which had been held since 1996. This tournament was organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Badminton Association and sanctioned by the BWF.


2019 Vietnam Open (badminton), Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at Nguyen Du Cultural Sports Club in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.


2019 Vietnam Open (badminton), Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the point distribution table for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF Tour Super 100 event.


2019 Vietnam Open (badminton), Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this tournament was US$75,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2019 Vietnam floods, May
Heavy rain hit northern Vietnam from 29-30 May, resulting in serious flooding in Ha Giang, Yen Bai, Cao Bang and Thanh Hoa. In Bac Quang, Ha Giang, five houses were destroyed and one child was killed. In Yen Bai, flash floods killed one man in Văn Chấn Commune. In Cao Bang, flooding swept away more than a dozen houses and killed one man.


2019 Vietnam floods, August
Due to the effects of Typhoon Wipha, western Thanh Hoa was hit by serious flooding on August 2. In Sa Na village, Quan Sơn district, flash floods swept away several houses and killed 15 people. One person was also killed in Bac Kan and another in Dien Bien province.


2019 Vietnam floods, August
On August 8, heavy rains hit the provinces of Lâm Đồng, Đắk Nông and Bình Phước, killing 10 people. The Bảo Lộc pass between Ho Chi Minh city and Dalat was hit by landslide. 200 households near Đăk Kar reservoir were prompted to evacuate, fearing its collapse. Phu Quoc island was also hit by serious floods. Damages due to flooding in South-Central Vietnam was estimated at 43.5 million USD.